1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to computer control of user devices and, more particularly, to the use of JavaBeans.TM. for providing centralized control of attached devices in a vehicle network.
2. Description of Related Art
As computer controlled devices become more pervasive, it is not unexpected that such devices would spread to traditionally mechanical domains such as automotive vehicles. A network vehicle was demonstrated at the Comdex Trade Show in November of 1997. That vehicle had a central computer which was used to control several attached devices.
Various manufacturers have been developing and deploying bus architectures suitable for use in a vehicle.
Computer systems are known which permit "plug and play" operation. When a new device is attached to the computer bus, its presence is detected and it is automatically added to the list of devices known to the CPU to be on the bus.
Object oriented programming languages and object oriented development environments are known in the art.
JavaBeans.TM. and the Java Development Kit.TM. are well known products available from Sun Microsystems. JavaBeans.TM. is an architecture and platform neutral application programming interface for creating and using dynamic Java components. Application developers can use a variety of development tools, such as a Java Development Kit.TM. to assemble custom applications from fully portable JavaBeans.